THE respect and care for the honored dead, the men who died for an
ideal and their country, traditional with the people of the nations embracing western
civilization, has never been so resolutely demonstrated as during the present conflict in
Korea. This noble concept of honoring and caring for the remains of the valiant men who
gave their all in defense of our republic, and the principles to which it is dedicated,
has been in the past, and always will be in the future, a very important function of our
armed forces.

Prior to the twentieth century interment in battlefield or national
cemeteries was the recognized and accepted means of honorably disposing of the remains of
our armed forces killed in battle. With the involvement of the United States in World Wars
I and II, and the resultant deaths of our men on foreign soil, a new problem of final
disposition had to be resolved. Acting upon recommendations of the Departments of the Army
and Navy, the Congress enacted laws and provided funds for the return of our honored dead
to the United States, or for their permanent interment overseas, in accordance with the
expressed wishes of the next of kin. These tremendous undertakings, subsequent to World
Wars I and II, set the pattern for the return of our dead who lost their lives in the
Korean conflict. While the return of our dead of World Wars I and II was accomplished long
after the termination of hostilities, military and political conditions in Korea made it
expedient to return our dead during hostilities. The performance of this mission by the
American Graves Registration Service, under the most difficult conditions, adds another
illustrious chapter to the record of accomplishments of the Quartermaster Corps, and
merits the recording of the events and deeds which made this accomplishment possible.

The commitment of United Nations military forces to defend the Republic
of Korea from the aggression of North Korean troops who crossed the 38th parallel in June
1950 led to an immediate dispatch of American troops to Korea. These troops, on occupation
duty in Japan, formed the nucleus of the United Nations forces in Korea. With their
arrival in Korea the problem of recovering, caring for, and interring the remains of men
killed in action became a matter of great concern to the Far East Command. Only one
platoon of trained graves registration personnel was available in that theater. This
platoon was engaged primarily in processing the normal current deaths of occupation
personnel. Its additional responsibilities included search for, and recovery of, the
remains of World War II dead said to be buried in isolated areas of Japan.

The platoon was now called upon to supply personnel both for the combat
divisions and the newly organized Graves Registration Division, Eighth United States Army
in Korea (EUSAK). Responding to the urgency of the situation, the platoon sent to Korea
every man that could be spared. Most of these graves registration personnel had never
served under combat conditions and many had little knowledge of the complex administrative
procedures of a graves registration office of record. Nevertheless the men accomplished
their assigned responsibilities in a manner which will always reflect the high standards
to which personnel of the American Graves Registration Service dedicate their efforts.

As the conflict grew in intensity, and deaths of United Nations
personnel increased, it became necessary for each combat division to establish and operate
its own cemetery, pending the arrival of graves registration companies from the zone of
interior to assume this responsibility. The first temporary United Nations cemetery in
Korea was established July 9, 1950, at Taejon, by the 24th Infantry Division. However, the
town of Taejon was shortly thereafter seized by the enemy, and the cemetery, with its
forty-six interments, had to be abandoned. Other temporary cemeteries were established at
Kwan-ui, Kum-chon, and Sindong; these also passed to control of the enemy when United
Nations forces withdrew to the Pusan perimeter.

It was during the period when divisions operated their own cemeteries
that difficulties were encountered which extended to the utmost the capacity of the few
personnel engaged in caring for the dead. Combat troops could hardly be spared to dig
graves, and it was almost impossible to obtain civilian labor, due to the abandonment of
towns and villages by fleeing refugees anxious to escape from the battle area. Tents were
set up as mortuaries to receive and hold bodies until graves could be dug and records
prepared. Yet in spite of adverse conditions, the remains of the United Nations dead were
interred with that dignity and solemnity which circumstances permitted.

With the withdrawal of United Nations forces to the Pusan perimeter,
other temporary United Nations cemeteries were established. The 24th and 2nd Infantry
Divisions established a cemetery at Miryang; the 25th Infantry Division, at Masan; the 1st
Cavalry Division, at Taegu and the 2nd Logistical Command, at Pusan.

Meanwhile the Quartermaster, Far East Command, formulated policies for
the care, interment, and recording of all United Nations deceased. To implement these
policies the Graves Registration Division, Quartermaster Section, EUSAK, prepared and
published directives establishing definite procedures for handling remains and personal
effects.

The first Quartermaster Graves Registration Company to arrive in the
Far East Command was the 565th. Minus a platoon which was left in Japan, this unit moved
to Korea (Pusan) on September 12, 1950, and promptly assumed control of the temporary
cemeteries at Miryang, Masan, and Taegu. This action released division personnel who were
badly needed to evacuate the dead from battlefield areas. The 565th Graves Registration
Company was placed under the operational control of the Graves Registration Division,
Quartermaster, EUSAK, thereby ensuring a direct channel for carrying out all policies in
caring for remains and the cemeteries in which they were interred.

The platoon-that remained in Japan was attached to the X Corps, which
was preparing for an amphibious operation at Inchon. The platoon disembarked at Inchon,
and shortly after the initial combat units drove inward from that port, it promptly
initiated action to recover the dead. Subsequently the platoon, jointly with graves
registration personnel of the lst Marine Division, opened the temporary United Nations
military cemetery at Inchon, on September 8, 1950.

The successful operation at Inchon and the simultaneous break-out from
the Pusan perimeter made necessary the establishment of forward collecting points to
ensure the expeditious return of remains to the established temporary cemeteries. Search
and recovery operations in areas recaptured from the enemy were started immediately, and
remains were funneled through collecting points to the cemeteries. This action simplified
the identification of many remains which would have otherwise decomposed or deteriorated
to an extent which would make identification extremely difficult. Elements of the 565th
Graves Registration Company followed the divisions as they progressed northward.
Continuous liaison permitted the rapid transfer of decedents to the established
cemeteries, thereby making unnecessary the opening of additional cemeteries in the
captured areas.

To comprehend fully the accomplishments of graves registration
personnel during the initial phases of the Korean conflict it is necessary for the reader
to visualize conditions existing in Korea during those trying days in 1950. Means of
communication, so vital to successful operations, were totally inadequate, since the
limited facilities were reserved principally for tactical troops. Railways were utilized
entirely for the logistical support of combat troops. Highways, as we know them in the
United States, are connecting the nonexistent in Korea. The best roads connecting the
towns and villages are little more than widened trails, in most places not wide enough for
two-way vehicular traffic. The surface condition of roads was so bad that the movement of
vehicles was estimated in hours per mile rather than miles per hour.

The terrain  a series of sheer hills and steep mountains
separated by small valleys and narrow canyons  precludes any rapid movement of men
and vehicles. Rice paddies, with their soggy surfaces, blanket the valleys, making travel
in the lower areas equally difficult. This terrain, appraised from a tactical standpoint,
is eminently suited for defense. Korea is a land where, in general, the oxcart is more
practical than the motor vehicle, and massed human labor more suitable than machinery.

It was on the ridges and sides of the mountain and in the rice paddies
of the valleys that the battles were fought and men died.

The removal of the dead to distant United Nations military cemeteries
was a difficult and laborious undertaking. Such remains as could not be moved because of
the exigencies of battle were hastily interred in foxholes, shell holes, or any area of
soft earth which permitted a quick burial. These isolated graves were not always marked,
and, even in cases where crude markers were erected, many were lost through the action of
the elements or destroyed in battle. Still other markers were removed by natives or the
enemy. All this made the search and recovery activities of graves registration personnel
an exacting and demanding task.

The search was not limited to men known to have been killed in action.
Lists of men reported missing in action at places only designated by grid coordinates were
furnished the search teams. The remains of hundreds of such casualties were recovered, due
to the untiring efforts of the men in the American Graves Registration Service.

After consolidating the gains made through the Inchon landing and the
breakout from the Pusan perimeter, the next phase of tactical operations was directed
northward toward the Manchurian border. As United Nations troops crossed the 38th
Parallel, on or about October 2, 1950, it became necessary to reassign graves registration
units to service the combat divisions moving northward. The platoon of the 565th, which
had participated in the Inchon landing, was relieved of responsibility for operating the
Inchon cemetery and attached to the X Corps. The Inchon cemetery was, in the meantime,
placed in the temporary custody of the 3rd Logistical Command, who maintained it until
relieved by the 114th Graves Registration Company, which arrived in Korea on November 25,
1950.

Another amphibious operation by United Nations forces occurred on
October 26, 1950 at Wonsan, and resulted in the capture of that town by the X Corps.
Elements of a platoon of the 565th Graves Registration Company, which participated in the
initial landing, promptly established a temporary cemetery on the side of a small hill
adjacent to the town. The subsequent advance northward from Wonsan by fast-moving
divisions of the X Corps made it necessary to establish additional cemeteries far north of
Wonsan. The 7th Infantry Division established a cemetery at Pukchon on November 5, 1950,
and the platoon of the 565th Graves Registration Company attached to the X Corps, jointly
with the lst Marine Division, established a cemetery at Hungnam on the same date.

Simultaneously with the X Corps landing at Wonsan, the Eighth Army
pressed northward from the 38th parallel. The swift advance of Eighth Army troops also
made necessary the establishment of temporary cemeteries in the western sector of North
Korea. The 1st Cavalry Division opened a cemetery at Pyongyang on October 22, 1950.
Another cemetery was established at Suchon, on the same date, jointly by the 187th
Airborne Regimental Combat Team and the 24th Infantry Division.

The entry into Korea of a vast horde of Chinese troops to reinforce the
disintegrating North Korean armies halted the forward movement of United Nations forces
and made urgent their withdrawal to locations where strong defensive positions could be
established. The movement of the X Corps to Hungnam and the evacuation of its personnel
and equipment by United Nations naval units from that port has long since been recorded as
an epic of the Korean conflict. All temporary cemeteries in the area of withdrawal fell
under communist control, including the cemetery at Hungnam, located in the outskirts of
that city. During the siege of Hungnam it became necessary to establish a cemetery near
the beach. This cemetery, designated in official records as Hungnam United Nations
Military Cemetery No. 2, was opened December 17, 1950 by the platoon of the 565th Graves
Registration Company attached to the X Corps, and closed by them on December 23, 1950, one
day before the complete evacuation of Hungnam by United Nations units.

The withdrawal of the Eighth Army to positions south of the 38th
parallel resulted in the loss of control of the cemeteries at Pyongyang and Suchon. It was
during the withdrawal of the Eighth Army southward that a decision of major importance was
made with respect to cemeteries still under control of United Nations forces. Acting upon
the recommendation of the Quartermaster, Far East, the Supreme Commander, United Nations
Forces, directed the evacuation of all United Nations temporary military cemeteries. The
remains of all United States deceased were to be prepared for shipment to Japan, and the
deceased of Allied nations were to be concentrated in a centralized United Nations
military cemetery.

Plans were promptly formulated by the Graves Registration Division,
Quartermaster Section, EUSAK, for an immediate evacuation of the Inchon cemetery, which
was in the direct path of advancing communist forces. A platoon of the 114th Graves
Registration Company was assigned the task of evacuating this cemetery, which held the
remains of 870 United Nations soldiers. Included among these dead were 112 remains
disinterred from Kaesong, the first cemetery evacuated in the face of the communist
advance. Time was all-important since the communists were on the outskirts of Seoul.
Frozen ground, the difficulty in obtaining laborers from among the refugees fleeing to the
south, and the procurement of supplies and transportation, were the chief obstacles to be
overcome.

Working under these difficult conditions, the disinterment operations
of Inchon cemetery began on Christmas morning 1950. Laborers were obtained with the
cooperation of the local labor office and Korean police. The promise of a rice bonus aided
in securing sufficient labor personnel. Supplies such as picks, shovels, wrapping
materials, and shipping tags were secured from the closest available sources.

The exhumation by plot, row, and grave, with men of the platoon
verifying the remains of each disinterred and noting any discrepancies on prepared
reports, was the first step in this unusual operation. The second step included the
wrapping, tagging, and evacuation of the disinterred to an improvised mortuary at the port
of Inchon. The last step provided for the preparation of the shipping list and the loading
of remains aboard a vessel hastily secured for this purpose.

The operation was completed successfully by the evening of December 28,
1950, at which time the loaded vessel departed from the Port of Inchon. This unique
achievement was accomplished only through the dogged efforts of graves registration
personnel determined to prevent additional remains from falling into enemy hands.

In the meantime a site of approximately seventy-two acres, in the town
of Tanggok, was selected for the establishment of the central United Nations military
cemetery. This town, a suburb of Pusan, possesses the rail and road facilities required
for efficient cemetery operations. Since the acquired land was in hilly terrain, terracing
and grading the area became a major engineering project. Work started on January 19, 1951,
to meet a completion date tentatively set for April 1, 1951. Hundreds of men were
recruited in Pusan and surrounding towns and villages to supply the labor required. Rock
needed to build supporting walls for terraced sections of the cemetery was brought in by
small vessels from a distant quarry and trucked for several miles from a beach landing
area to the cemetery site.

While construction of the United Nations military cemetery at Tanggok
was in progress, plans were completed for the evacuation of all other temporary cemeteries
from that part of Korea under the control of United Nations forces. Remains of United
States dead, with the exception of those disinterred from the cemeteries at Miryang and
Kunsan, were evacuated directly to the American Graves Registration installation
established in Kokura, Japan. The remains of United States dead evacuated from Miryang and
Kunsan were interred temporarily in the new cemetery at Tanggok, pending their removal at
a later date to Japan. All Allied dead evacuated from these cemeteries were interred at
Tanggok.

In an impressive ceremony on April 6, 1951, attended by representatives
of all the United Nations engaged in the Korean conflict, General Ridgway dedicated the
new cemetery to the heroic dead of the United Nations who gave their lives in the Korean
conflict. In subsequent months the remainder of the United States dead buried in Tanggok
were disinterred and shipped to Kokura, Japan. Remains of a number of United States
unknown dead were left in Tanggok as token interments in order that the central United
Nations military cemetery would hold the remains of decedents of all member nations
participating in defense of the Republic of Korea.

The decision to return the remains of American deceased to the United
States during hostilities was arrived at only after the Quartermaster, Far East, completed
an intensive study of the problems involved. Never in the history of the United States, or
any other nation, has there been a mass evacuation of the remains of men killed in action
while hostilities were still in force. This departure from the long established practice
of leaving remains in battlefield cemeteries or isolated locations until after the
cessation of hostilities necessitated the activation of an organization capable of
carrying out the manifold operations of receiving, processing, identifying, embalming,
casketing, and shipping.

Such an installation, under direct control of the Quartermaster, Far
East, was established in Japan on December 28, 1950, and designated as Zone Headquarters,
American Graves Registration Service Group, Camp Kokura. The first shipload of remains
arrived at Kokura on January 3, 1951. This shipment represented all the remains which had
been evacuated from the cemetery at Inchon to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.
Since that date the remains of American deceased have continued to arrive at Kokura for
processing and return to the United States. While the initial shipments received at Kokura
were the remains of American deceased disinterred from temporary United Nations military
cemeteries, subsequent arrivals at Kokura included remains which had never been interred
in Korea. Present operations make possible the delivery of remains from the battlefield to
Kokura within an average period of five days. As of April 1, 1952, over 16,000 remains,
received from the Graves Registration Service in Korea, have been shipped by Zone
Headquarters to the United States for disposition in accordance with the wishes of next of
kin.

The lull in action on the front lines during the long armistice
negotiations permitted the utilization of most graves registration personnel in Korea in
search and recovery operations. The importance of these operations cannot be overstated.
Unless remains of men listed as "missing in action" are recovered, the change in
their status to "killed in action" may be long delayed. Next of kin, anxious
about the fate of their missing loved ones, find it extremely difficult to accept such a
finding unless the remains are recovered and positively identified.

At this writing, thousands of men are in the category of missing or
missing in action. Until the enemy prisoners of war list is verified, and pending
verification of recovered "unknown" remains as United States personnel, the
exact number of remains to be searched for cannot be stated. Neither can it be stated with
certainty how many of those missing lost their lives either in territory controlled by the
communists or areas under the jurisdiction of the United Nations.

Of the 85,246 square miles of Korea to be searched, over 40,000 square
miles are at present under the control of United Nations forces. This vast area of
mountains and rice paddies is extremely difficult to traverse. Present plans of the
Quartermaster, EUSAK, include a skirmish search of all territory presently held by United
Nations forces. Search teams, each consisting of approximately five United States
personnel, supplemented by Korean military and civilians, make a thorough coverage of the
area assigned to them. Information secured from historical records, as well as the grid
coordinates, as regards the last known location of casualties are important clues in
search operations. To aid the search teams, appeals for assistance to the native
population are made through the media of airplane leaflet drops, radio, motion pictures,
and newspapers. Interpreters with the search teams visit school houses and interrogate the
children. Local police, as well as the leading citizens of towns and villages, are
interviewed and requested to obtain, from the populace, information which will enable
specific searches to be made in the general area of the town or village.

Remains presently being recovered are, with few exceptions, skeletal.
The absence of extraneous identification media from most recoveries make it necessary that
identification be established entirely on the basis of physical characteristics. Search
and recovery personnel have been thoroughly indoctrinated on the importance of screening
an area of recovery for all bone fragments. Particular emphasis is being given to
screening the earth for teeth. The teams likewise have been instructed to leave with the
remains all items of clothing, property, and personal effects, regardless of their
fragmentary condition, since such items may assist in identification processing. The
reporting of surface data as to where remains were found and the conditions surrounding
the recovery of the body are also important parts of recovery operations.

Search operations are most effective during the moderate and warm
months: April to November. Snow, ice, and frozen ground greatly hamper search teams during
the remaining months of the year. It is estimated that eighteen months will be required to
complete a skirmish search of the territory now under control of United Nations forces by
graves registration personnel presently available. Searches are conducted by map sheets
(Korea 1:50,000). As soon as the area represented by one sheet (approximately 185 square
miles) has been thoroughly searched, the Graves Registration Division, Quartermaster
Section, EUSAK, prepares a statement certifying that all recoverable remains in that area
have been recovered. No further searches are contemplated in such areas except when
circumstances warrant a special effort.

The present concentration of search operations in South Korea does not
imply that the dead in North Korea have been forgotten. Plans already have been formulated
for search and recovery operations in that part of Korea controlled by communist forces.
The transition from a planning stage to actual operations depends entirely on the
successful conclusion of the present armistice negotiations. At this writing it is
expected that all cemeteries and graves which are a matter of record by each side will be
given initial consideration in recovery operations. The mission of the American Graves
Registration Service in Korea will not be complete until all recoverable remains of United
States solders who died in Korea are returned to the zone of interior.